Suitcase with hard base and soft cover

ABSTRACT

A suitcase or luggage piece having a rigid lower compartment that retains the intended shape and a soft flexible lid or top that is releasably attached to the lower compartment. In an alternate embodiment there is an expansion piece mounted between the lower rigid compartment and the lid. The expansion piece can be either rigid or soft and is stored in the lower compartment until needed.

I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to suitcases or luggage pieces used by travelers. More particularly this invention relates to a suitcase that has a rigid base or bottom portion and a soft top portion.

Various types of suitcases are available. There are two basic types. One is constructed from rigid materials that form a rigid outer shell that protects the contents. The other is constructed from a soft material, such as canvas or a woven plastic material or some other fabric type material that is generally supported by some form of framework to maintain the shape of the suitcase. Most have a handle to grasp the case. In some cases the handle is extendable from a stored or retracted position to an extended position. Many of the current designs employ some form of wheels mounted on the luggage so that it can be easily wheeled without the necessity of picking up the suitcase to transport it. With the handle extended, it makes it easier to wheel the luggage from point to point.

Many pieces of luggage are equipped with a method for expanding the size of the luggage. Most often this is accomplished by a soft piece of flexible material attached to either the base or cover of the suitcase and disposed around the perimeter of the suitcase. This material is attached around the perimeter by means of a zipper. In one position the zipper retains the piece of material in a stored position within the suitcase. In a second, or unzipped position, the piece of material is released from its stored position and allows the top or bottom of the suitcase to expand thus increasing the internal volume of the suitcase.

With increased demands being placed on the travelers to pack as lightly as possible, it is advantageous if the suitcase weighs as little as possible. In the past, soft suitcases had a weight advantage over hard shell suitcases. However, recently hard shelled suitcases have been constructed that have a similar weight to a soft suitcase. This is accomplished by molding a thin shell of plastic or polypropylene that may be internally reinforced around the internal perimeter with structural supporting frame members. The shell is generally sufficiently rigid to retain the desired shape, yet the internal reinforcements further reinforce the suitcase so that it retains its shape and protects its contents even when ruggedly handled during transit.

Soft suitcases, however, still have certain advantages over the hard shell suitcases. Generally they are lighter and pound for pound will permit greater amounts to be packed. They can be pushed and manipulated to fit into tight fitting places or irregular places where the rigidity of a hard shell suitcase will not permit it to fit. These advantages at times will outweigh the protection and security of a hard shell case.

It would be advantageous if a suitcase could be provided that has the advantages of a hard shell to provide security and protection for its contents and the advantages of a soft sided suitcase with its weight advantage and ability to fit into tight or irregular places where the inflexibility of a hard shell case keeps it from fitting.

II. OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

It is an object of the invention to provide a suitcase that has at least a portion made of rigid material to provide protection for the contents.

It is another object of the invention to provide a suitcase that has at least a portion made of soft flexible material. The advantage is that the suitcase is lighter than one made exclusively of a rigid hard shell.

It is a related object of the invention to provide a suitcase that has a rigid or hard shell base and soft cover. Yet another object is to provide a suitcase in which there is an expandable portion to increase the volume of the suitcase by expanding the area between the hard base and soft cover.

Still another object is to provide a suitcase having a hard base and soft cover in which the cover is provided with one or more expandable pockets to receive items to be packed.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent upon reading the Description of the Drawings and Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment.

III. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Applicant's invention solves the problem of the prior art cases by providing a hard base made of a rigid material. Preferably the hard base is made of a plastic material such as polycarbonate material, polypropylene or acrylic butyl styrene or a combination of these materials. The base may be reinforced with reinforcing members disposed about the perimeter of the hard base. The cover is made of a soft material such as canvas, nylon, woven plastic material or other similar materials that are known in the art. The cover is attached along at least one side to the base so that it can pivot between the open and closed positions allowing access to the interior of the suitcase. There is preferably a zipper fastener that releasably secures the other sides of the cover to the base. The soft cover provides expandable compartments on the cover to allow extra items to be packed. The soft cover also allows for some distortion of the cover so that the suitcase may fit into a tight space due to the cover being flexible and conforming to a tight or irregular space.

IV. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inventive suitcase.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the inventive suitcase.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the inventive suitcase with the cover in the open position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment in which the suitcase has an expanded portion.

FIG. 5 is a left side view of the suitcase of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the alternative embodiment with the cover in the open position.

V. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a suitcase 10 of the present invention. There is a lower compartment 12 in which the user's items are placed. The lower compartment is formed by a bottom 14, opposite long sides 16, a short top side 18 and short bottom side 20. The bottom 14 and all of the sides 16, 18 and 20 are all made of a rigid material that retains its shape to maintain the shape of the lower compartment 12. Examples of suitable materials are polycarbonate material, polypropylene or acrylic butyl styrene or a combination of these materials, but this list in only representative and not exhaustive of the materials that are suitable. It is preferable that the materials are strong yet light weight. Optionally reinforcement bars or structures can be placed internally of the lower compartment 12 to support the walls. The sides 16, 18 and 20 all have top edges 22 (see FIG. 3) and a bottom edge 24 (See FIG. 2). The bottom edge 24 is attached to or integrally formed as one piece with the bottom 14.

A side handle 26 may be mounted on one of the long sides 16. Also, a second or top handle 28 may be mounted to the short top side 18. Wheels 30 are mounted to the short bottom side 20, on opposite sides of the suitcase 10 so that it can be easily rolled. A telescopic towing handle 32 is mounted to a frame in the bottom 14 and can be extended, such as illustrated in FIG. 1 for towing the suitcase, or retracted for storage.

The suitcase 10 has a top or lid 34 designed to cover the lower compartment 12. There may be an expandable compartment 36 having a front flap 38 with one end being an attached bottom 40. The front flap 38 has a free opposite end 42. The flap 38 has opposite sides 44 that are also not directly attached to the top 34. Instead there is a zipper closure 46 extending around the opposite sides 44 and across the free end 42 so that the flap 38 can be opened and items stored therein and then closed by means of the zipper closure 46. Additional compartments or pockets such as 48 can also be provided on the top or lid 34.

The lid 34 is securely attached to one of the opposite long sides 16 at the top edge 22 by means of a pivotal or hinged fastener. This can be by stitching, heat sealing or other conventional means of attaching the edge of the lid 34 to the top edge 22. There is second zipper closure 50 that extends around the top 22 along the top edge 22 of the short top side 18, top of one long side 16 and along the short bottom side 20. The other or complementary side of the zipper closure 50 is attached to respective edges of the top or lid 34. In this manner, which is conventional in the design of suitcases, the top 34 can be zippered close or unzipped to release the lid 34 to allow the user access to the lower compartment 12.

The lid or top 34 is made of a flexible, yet durable, material. Examples of suitable materials are canvas, nylon, woven plastic or other similar materials of which soft suitcases are commonly manufactured. The important point is that the top is made of a soft, flexible material that has sufficient strength for its intended purpose, yet can be deformed without being destroyed. In this manner, the suitcase can be pushed into a tight fitting or irregular space that a rigid topped suitcase may not fit. It also allows the lower compartment of the suitcase to be “stuffed” with items and when the top 34 is closed, it will expand sufficiently to still contain the internally placed items yet allow the top 34 to be zippered into its closed position with the lower compartment.

In the alternate embodiment as seen in FIGS. 4-6, the suitcase 10 is provided with an expansion piece 52. The expansion piece 52 can be either a hard or rigid piece made of the same or similar material as the lower compartment 12, or it can be a soft flexible material such as the material that the top 34 is made from. The top 34 is releasably attached to a top edge 54 or the expansion piece 52 along three edges with the zipper closure 50. This is done just as in the first embodiment. One edge of the top 34 is flexibly attached to the top edge 54 of the expansion piece 50 by means of a flexible connection 54 such as stitching or heat sealing. The expansion piece 50 is adapted to be either stored within the lower compartment 12 if not needed, or can be telescopically released as illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 to provide extra storage space within the lower compartment 12.

A bottom edge 56 of the expansion piece 52 has one edge flexible attached to the top edge 22 and a third zipper closure 58 that releasably secures the other three edges of the expansion piece to the top edge 22. In this manner the expansion piece 52 can be secured or released from zippered engagement with its adjacent lower compartment 12 or top 34 by means of the zippered closure devices 50, 58.

Thus there has been provided a suitcase that has a rigid base compartment and soft or flexible top that fully satisfies the objects as set forth herein. While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

1. A luggage piece comprising: a lower compartment and an upper lid, the lower compartment made of a rigid material such that it retains its intended shape, the lower compartment, having a rigid bottom, rigid sides, and an open top, the rigid sides having opposite top and bottom edges, the bottom edge connected to the rigid bottom, the upper lid made of a soft flexible material such that it flexes when subjected to an external force, the upper lid having an outer perimeter, at least a portion of the outer perimeter flexibly connected to the top edge of the rigid side, and zipper means disposed between a second portion of the outer perimeter of the upper lid and the top edge of the rigid side for releasably fastening the upper lid to the lower compartment.
 2. The luggage piece of claim 1 and further comprising storage compartments on the upper lid.
 3. The luggage piece of claim 1 and further comprising wheels attached to the lower compartment for rolling the luggage piece.
 4. The luggage piece of claim 3 and further comprising a telescopic handle mounted to the lower compartment.
 5. The luggage piece of claim 1 wherein the rigid bottom and rigid sides are integrally molded as one piece.
 6. A luggage piece comprising: a lower compartment and an upper lid, the lower compartment made of a rigid material such that it retains its intended shape, the lower compartment, having a rigid bottom, rigid sides, and an open top, the rigid sides having opposite top and bottom edges, the bottom edge connected to the rigid bottom, the upper lid made of a soft flexible material such that it flexes when subjected to an external force, the upper lid having an outer perimeter, an expansion piece disposed between the lower compartment and the upper lid for increasing the size of the lower compartment, the expansion piece having an expansion piece top edge and an expansion piece bottom edge, at least a portion of the outer perimeter of the upper lid flexibly connected to the expansion piece top edge, and at least a portion of the expansion piece bottom edge flexibly connected to the top edge of the rigid side, fastener means disposed between the upper lid and the expansion piece top edge for releasably fastening the upper lid to the top edge of the expansion piece, and second fastener means disposed between the expansion piece bottom edge and the top edge of the lower compartment for releasably fastening the expansion piece to the top edge of the lower compartment.
 7. The luggage piece of claim 6 wherein the expansion piece is made of rigid material.
 8. The luggage piece of claim 6 wherein the expansion piece is made of soft material.
 9. The luggage piece of claim 6 wherein the fastener means is a zipper closure.
 10. The luggage piece of claim 9 wherein the second fastener means is a zipper closure.
 11. The luggage piece of claim 6 and further comprising storage compartments on the upper lid.
 12. The luggage piece of claim 6 and further comprising wheels attached to the lower compartment for rolling the luggage piece.
 13. The luggage piece of claim 12 and further comprising a telescopic handle mounted to the lower compartment.
 14. The luggage piece of claim 6 wherein the rigid bottom and rigid sides are integrally molded as one piece. 